A wide variety of lotions are applied to the body, including soaps, moisturizers, creams, sunscreens, gels, and the like. The term “lotion” is used herein to refer to fluids that are considerably thicker and more viscous than water. These lotions are frequently packaged in containers that include a displacement pump as a dispenser. A displacement pump features a spring-biased reciprocating head with a dip tube. When the head is depressed, the volume of the internal chamber of the pump is decreased and a corresponding volume of lotion is dispensed. When the head is released, the internal volume of the pump is increased and a corresponding volume of lotion is drawn into the dip tube.
Lotions are frequently applied to the body by hand. However, the middle of the back is very difficult for most people to reach with their own hands. Persons having physical disabilities can have difficulty reaching additional body parts. Lotion or soap dispenser-applicators having elongated handles have been produced. For example, a body cream applicator/massager is sold by Solutions of Portland, Oreg. The device contains a reservoir in the head that can be filled with the desired lotion. The amount of lotion that flows out of the device is not easily controlled. A soap dispensing kitchen brush is sold by OXO International of New York, N.Y. The device contains a reservoir in the handle. A button is pressed to dispense the liquid soap through bristles of the brush.
Two combined lotion dispenser-applicators having elongated handles with reservoirs have been disclosed in the patent literature. Yannaci et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,057, Apr. 3, 2001, discloses a lotion dispenser-applicator that contains a reservoir in a portion of the handle. The lotion in the reservoir is forced to the applicator by a sliding, piston-like movement of a portion of the handle. Owings, U.S. Pat. Appln. Publn No. 2002/0018687, Feb. 14, 2002, also discloses a lotion dispenser-applicator that contains a reservoir in a portion of the handle. The lotion is forced to the applicator by squeezing a bulb. The Yannaci et al. and the Owings devices hold relatively small quantities of lotion and dispense variable amounts of lotion. Both devices force the lotion onto the interior surface of the applicator. The lotion then flows through the applicator to the exterior surface where it is applied to the body.
A variety of devices have been disclosed for dispensing and applying aqueous solutions and relatively low viscosity lotions using a porous pad made of cotton, sponge, synthetic foam, or the like. These devices fall into two general types.
The first type of device contains a nozzle or dispenser that applies the fluid to the interior surface of an integral pad. The fluid flows through the pad to the exterior surface. The pad is then rubbed onto the surface to be treated. Examples of this type of device include Hoxie, U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,781, May 25, 1965; Breer II, U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,854, Jan. 25, 1977; Tice, U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,441, Dec. 26, 1989; Buschemeyer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,155, Feb. 20, 1990; Goncalves, U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,894, May 28, 1991; Fontanet et al., U.S. Pat. Appln. Publn. No. 2002/0071708, Jun. 13, 2002; and Eadie, U.S. Pat. Appln. Publn. No. 2003/0031501, Feb. 13, 2003. The Yannaci et al. and Owings devices discussed above are similar to this type of device. These devices are not suited for dispensing thick fluids with dense pads because a thick fluid cannot penetrate (flow through) a dense pad.
The second type of device contains a nozzle that sprays the fluid onto the surface to be treated (the body, a surface to be cleaned, etc.) when a trigger is pulled. The device contains an integral pad that is perpendicular to the direction the fluid is sprayed. The pad is then used to rub the liquid on the surface. Examples of this second type of device include Schultz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,951, Jun. 1, 2004; and Beard, U.S. Pat. Appln. Publn. No. 2004/0101347, May 27, 2004. These devices are not suited for applying a fluid to a hard-to-reach part of the body because the nozzle must be positioned adjacent the surface and then the trigger must be pulled.
None of the prior art devices holds a large quantity of thick lotion, dispenses a controlled amount of the lotion with a displacement pump, and dispenses the lotion directly onto the exterior surface of a pad. Accordingly, a demand exists for an improved lotion dispenser-applicator that holds a greater quantity of lotion, that dispenses a controlled amount of lotion with a displacement pump, and that dispenses the lotion directly onto the exterior surface of a pad.